So Fresh & So Clean - Now THIS is Clean Beauty!

A couple of wks ago as you remember I did a very productive shoot w/ Adamo de Pax.  The guy is amazing - he's getting married this Sat. in Ottawa and he still took the time to retouch 3 of the Clean Beauty images for me (out of 4...still waiting on Sarah).  Some photographers take mths to even show you the pics (which btw is NOT acceptable) so the fact that Adamo in between planning a wedding took the time to get 3 of these pics done is really nice.

Let me tell you the pictures DO NOT disappoint!  They are everything I wanted out of a Clean Beauty shot.  The model looks gorgeous, like she is just naturally beautiful and glowing.  To the untrained eye they might say what's so great about this picture it doesn't even look like she's wearing ANY makeup and I say EXACTLY!  Seriously, this is Clean Beauty!  Just clean up the model, light foundation and concealing, little mascara, little highlight and contour, lip balm and THAT'S IT!  I wanted the skin dewy and fresh...just like a skin care ad!

Just a side story.  I was doing a second day of shooting w/ Torlys today and the one corporate Torlys guy comes up to me and asks what I did for the male actor Jay b/c he looked so natural.  I said just a bit of moisturizer, green primer to tone down the red and a light dusting of powder foundation and some lip balm and hair pomade - That's It!  He then commented on how before when they had ppl come in to do a video one of their corporate guys that was in the video had a full face on w/ lipstick and everything.

This is not the first time I've heard of this sort of thing for male actors.  I explained to him it was kind of a dated approach and now w/ things being HD and everything you really just want to clean up the actors and make them look natural - you don't want to see the makeup.  Sometimes I feel some artists don't trust their work or skills enough to just let it be natural, it's almost like they HAVE to show that they are necessary and therefore feel the need to make sure it's obvious someone had their makeup done when in reality just doing it really clean and having ppl wonder if the person is wearing makeup is actually a lot more impressive and effective.

Anyway, here are the pics!

Alex (Next)

 Andrea (Next)

 Bea (Elite)

Torlys Smart Hardwood Flooring - Web Commercial

Last wk I got the chance to work w/ a new client - Torlys Smart Floors and a new production company - Signature Video Group which is always a great thing when you're trying to get your name out there and build that all important clientele!

It's so funny b/c as you can tell by the title of my post the job was for a web commercial (these things are getting very popular these days lol) for a Flooring company...well that's not particularly funny - what's funny is this is my second job for a flooring company and just last mth as you know I did a job for a interior design company.  Apparently I'm building quite the niche for home renovation and design jobs lol!

It was a really relaxed set and the crew was small and there were only two talent to take care of so overall my job was pretty simple.  Usually is for these types of things....usually they just want you to clean up the talent and make them look polished.

The whole concept for the commercial is sort of a play on the whole PC vs. Mac commercials except this is Traditional Hardwood vs. Torlys Smart Hardwood.  The director/writer/producer of the shoot - Chris Stasiuk did a great job writing a cute and witty script and the two actors - Jeremy (Traditional Hardwood) and Vanessa (Torlys) did an amazing job bringing that script to life.  Seriously, you wouldn't believe these two just met b/c they had such great chemistry and as the shoot went on their characters developed more and  more and they took things further and further w/ their reactions and it just made things sooo funny!  Like LOL funny...which doesn't happen often on a commercial shoot and I don't know about you but when I think flooring I don't immediately start rolling on the floor w/ laughter (yes I know that was cheesy lol).

One of the Torlys boss guys was there for part of the shoot too and even he was laughing and just thought it was great!  Chris has several more script ideas so hopefully they will make more of these commercials...and even more hopefully I'll be brought back on for the jobs ;)  Or other jobs w/ the company!

It's great to get in on some of these corporate commercial type jobs b/c even though they might not be the most exciting things they are usually pretty easy and it can be steady work which is ALWAYS good!  After the actors had their basic makeup on all I had to do throughout the shoot was basically powder them and blot the sweat off Jeremy's forehead...it was really hot in the studio...and even hotter under the lights!  I'm always cold so I actually found everything to be pretty comfortable lol but everyone else was definitely glistening.

Below are some behind the scenes shots taken by Randi Lotsberg who was helping out that day...she's also the one that hooked up me w/ the job so thanks Randi!  Def. better than a lot of the behind the scenes pics I take that's for sure lol!

Jeremy and Vanessa on set...FYI Jeremy is actually really cool he's just "in character" as Traditional Hardwood lol...those aren't his real glasses.  If you didn't guess Traditional Hardwood is the "PC" while Torlys is the "Mac" lol.

 Jeremy, Chris and Vanessa

 Whole crew minus Randi who was taking the pic...told you it was small...btw umm I look so short lol!

 Powder, Powder and More Powder

 I Love this One...Jeremy's face is Hilarious!

Getting Pretty Good at this Wedding Hair Thing!

It's a Sat. so of course I had another wedding job!  Today I was just doing hair though.  It's so funny just last year I was actually turning away clients that were asking me for rates for doing just hair at a wedding b/c I didn't feel confident enough...wow a lot can change in a yr lol.  This is actually the 3rd wedding I've done in the past 6 mths where I've just done hair...in fact my wedding job  next Sat. is just hair as well! 

Usually this happens b/c the bride already has a friend or relative that is a makeup artist and therefore they only need a hair person...think of all the money I'd be missing out on if I didn't do hair lol.  I swear half my brides hire me b/c I do both.  So far I don't have ANY weddings booked yet where I'm just doing makeup. 

It was a really relaxed group today which was great, all the girls were so nice and easy going.  Not too early of a start - 10:15 am and they didn't have to be ready until 2 pm so there was LOTS of time to just take my time and not feel rushed. I was doing 4 hair including the bride.  It was also probably the first time where I was going to do just hair and I felt pretty relaxed...usually I'm a bit nervous if I'm just doing hair on set or at a wedding but today I just felt good.  The hair gods were definitely w/ me too b/c IMO everyone looked great and they seemed happy so that makes me happy!  It was also nice just to carry my hair kit...God I forget how light that thing is and how easy it is to transport when I don't have my makeup kit w/ me lol!

I had actually done a trial on the bride a couple of mths ago and it went really well.  She's not really a girly girl but the romantic loose curl bun really looked great on her.  I was glad the trial went well b/c it was actually the 2nd hair trial she had...the first was w/ a real hair person...and she liked what I did BETTER!

Whenever I'm doing hair I like to give each girl their own style and make each hairstyle a little different, even if they want the same thing or something very similar. 

W/ Beatrice, the Bride as I mentioned I did a loose romantic curl side bun that I was actually super happy w/.  I love the addition of the small white flower..it just really made the whole hairstyle IMO.

Her Maid of Honour Sarah just wanted a simple half up/half down do w/ curls.

 Her one Bridesmaid Kiera wanted a sort of messy updo w/ a braid woven through the front.  This girl had A LOT of hair and although it didn't turn out exactly like the pics she sent I think it looked pretty great to be honest.

Her final Bridesmaid BJ (Bobbi-Jo) said I could do whatever I wanted.  Her hair was just above the shoulders and a bit on the finer side so I decided to do a really elegant French Twist type style w/ some volume through the top...her's looked great in person but the side pictures don't do it justice (I tried to avoid front on pictures b/c I didn't do the makeup).

Another wedding tomorrow hope it goes just as well!

Free My Interior

About a mth ago now I did a little ad campaign for the launch of this new Interior Design store called - Free My Interior.  The pair that own the company - Zina & Aaron have been doing interior design for clients for a while now (since 2007 I believe).  Their whole concept behind interior design is that it can be affordable and accessible to a lot of ppl and not just the super rich.  They really believe you can get high impact design at an affordable price and they frequently do a lot of painting, sewing and refinishing work themselves helping to create a unique and one of a kind concept for their clients.

They wanted to have their own storefront to showcase and sell some of their custom items and estate sale furniture finds...esp. their cushions and pillows which were the main focus of the campaign.  What's really cool is a lot of the cushions are one of kind or limited in production b/c the pair frequently use vintage fabrics and materials...therefore you know it's not going to be like Ikea where you and all your friends have the exact same stuff lol.  They'll even design cushions for you personally if you have fabric or an idea that you like.

So the whole concept for the campaign was to have the model lying in the cushions naked w/ the cushions strategically covering all the important areas lol.  They wanted a very sexy and sensual feel to it and I definitely think they got it lol.  The pictures look awesome and can I just say this model had the firmest thighs I think I've EVER felt in my life...seriously they were like pure muscle rock...maybe I do need to give Yoga another try lol!

Photography Courtesy of Robin Gartner

2 Weddings in 1 Day = VERY Busy Makeup Artist!

I love when timing works out that I can book multiple jobs in 1 day b/c that means more $$$ for me which ALWAYS makes me happy :)  It's hard though b/c it really depends on when the first job ends + travel time and when next job starts.  So I was very happy last Sat. when I actually got to book 2 weddings that day b/c the first 1 ended at 11:30 am and the next one didn't start till 1 pm.  Makes for a long day but worth it in the end!

Both weddings were on the smaller side and I was able to handle them on my own w/ no assistance which is probably why I was able to fit the two of them in.  The first one I was working w/ a beautiful bride named Lori.  I was doing the makeup & hair for both her and her sister who were both beautiful w/ amazing cheekbones!  During the trial I tried to work w/ Lori's naturally curly hair but we both agreed after the trial to keep the frizz in check it was better if we started w/ her hair straight and added the curl back in to make sure it was a frizz free, smooth curl.  This was definitely a good decision given the weather last Sat...uggh poor brides everywhere in Toronto.

For the makeup Lori just wanted something very natural but w/ a little drama around the eyes so I did a really nice bronzy/brown smokey eye.  Her sister on the other hand wanted something a little more dramatic and tends to wear more makeup day to day in general so I got to go a little bold w/ her and gave her a really pretty purple smokey eye w/ a bold deep magenta lip which matched her dress perfectly.  For her hair I did a really nice half updo incorporating a french braid through the front and just cleaned up her curls a bit.

I'm not going to lie I was a little stressed about making it to the second wedding in time b/c they were kind of far apart but in the end it all worked out and I got there perfectly and everything went very smooth...at least on my end of things.

My second wedding was w/ a bride named Tryna.  I was doing hair & makeup for herself, her sister and her daughter.  It was a lot of fun and Tryna and I hit it off really well at the trial and she was so nice to even send a thank you email the day after her wedding.  I really love to hear how everything went for my brides on their wedding and just to make sure that their makeup and hair worked out well for them.  For Tryna's hair like many of my brides this year I made extensions for her that just blended beautifully.  It's so funny b/c every time I've made extensions for a bride she's been a blonde and thankfully they have always looked just gorgeous and really added some thing to the hair.  Next Sunday I'm actually doing extensions for an Asian bride so I'll keep you posted on that one lol.  For the makeup Tryna likes to play w/ makeup and isn't afraid of a little drama so I did a bold purple/grey smokey eye w/ black liner and false lashes.  I kept the lips neutral w/ a soft pink blush.  Both Tryna and her sister tend to have some redness in their complexion and MUFE green primer seriously did wonders for both of them!  Man I love that stuff it really just cuts the red right out which of course is great b/c it means I don't have to do as much concealing.  Tryna's sister is more of a natural girl so I did a more subtle look on her using soft purples as well but just cleaning up the skintone and highlighting the features really does make all the difference sometimes.  You really don't have to do a bold makeup to make an impact.

I really hope both of these brides send me pics once they  have them...I love seeing pics from the weddings!

4 Girls + 1 Look = Awesome Shoot!

Last wk I got to work on probably the most productive shoot of my life.  Somehow in the span of a 8 hr day myself, the very talented and young photographer Adamo de Pax and 4 models were able to complete 5 beauty stories...yes that's right 5 stories!  I know you're thinking how is this even possible!

Okay I'll give a little background on the whole thing to start w/.  Adamo is actually a super young and talented photographer that I took notice of awhile ago.  I met him through Dexter Quinto (who I've worked w/ a bunch) as one of Dexter's assistants.  I saw some of his work while he was still in school and I was blown away and I saw a lot of potential there.

Here's a tip for many of you out there.  It's important to find new talent and network w/ them.  Build a team w/ them...it might not be profitable yet but when they start to get jobs they are going to hire ppl they trust and that they've worked w/ before.  It's sometimes hard to break into the inner circle of already established photographers.  The hard thing though is spotting that talent while it's still raw and in development.

Anyway, back to the shoot.  I saw previously that Adamo had some great work but I felt his book was lacking some super clean beauty and this is Toronto where clean beauty is where the $$$ is at.  So I proposed that we do a clean beauty shoot together and get a bunch of models for the day b/c I also needed some new clean beauty b/c mine was old and it's sometimes hard to get photographers to shoot a clean beauty shoot b/c let's be real it's not necessarily the most exciting thing for them.

So Adamo wondered if we were going to do anything else w/ the girls besides the one look.  I then came up w/ a concept that we would do 1 look exactly the same on each of the girls - REALLY clean face (like no makeup/makeup) and I would put their hair into a high ballerina bun using one of those donut foam roll things I had gotten before but never used yet.  From there depending on the girl, her features and style we would then experiment and do a different story tailored to each girl specifically.  So that's how we got 5 stories - the 1 original clean face story and then 4 individual beauty stories for each girl.  We shot each story in 1.5-2 hrs...I'm efficient and Adamo is a very quick shooter which I LOVE.  I sort of hate when photographers over shoot something.

FYI for those that might be confused what the term "story" means when you're working on a shoot you want a cohesive set of pictures that sort of tells a "story" just like in an editorial.  It's not useful to do random shots that don't go together at all b/c it won't make sense in your book therefore you come up w/ concepts that tell a story eg. The clean face story where every girl has the same makeup and hair - but the 4 models themselves are actually very different.

I've already seen the pics Adamo has chosen for the 1st clean face story and they look amazing already so I cannot wait to see them retouched...seriously they look like a skincare ad b/c the 4 girls all have different hair colour, skintone and features.

I'll tell you about the other stories shot that day another time but here's some behind the scenes photos from that day.  Btw Adamo is very excited to officially be part of my blog b/c apparently he's a big fan lol ;)

Sarah (Elite) So young and fresh!

 Bea (Elite) INSANE cheekbones!

 Alex (Next) She was soo sick...I felt bad for her but such professionalism!

 Andrea (Next) We did the craziest stuff w/ her!

Me hard at work...please ignore the GIANT mess of a station...it was the end of the day lol!

Etalk Features Headmistress

This is sort of cool!  Just found out that Etalk (Canadian Entertainment Show) just did a feature on Hot Spring/Summer trends and they mentioned Headmistress Accessories - A LOT!  Like the whole first part of the segment is dedicated to the brand and features tons of the campaign pictures from the Spring/Summer line (Mad Men Goes Country) which I did the Hair & Makeup for.  If I do say so myself those pics look good on T.V lol!

Check out the segment here

Another Princess & Her Special Day

Every little girl dreams about growing up and being a princess on her wedding day.  Of course as we get older and mature the idea of what a "princess" is to us evolves and develops to fit our personality and style but no matter what on your wedding every bride wants to at least feel like a "princess". 

Last Sat. I had the pleasure of working w/ a lovely bride named Bre-Ann.  When I think of that traditional idea of a princess bride Bre-Ann and her bridal style fit it perfectly.  From the dress, to the veil, to the tiara, to the hair and makeup she empitomized the idea of a princess!  Plus she was getting married at Casa Loma (one of my fav. wedding destination in Toronto) you can't get much more princess then that IMO.

I think what really added to the whole princess look was the hair extensions I made for Bre-Ann (I make extensions for a lot of my brides actually).  They blended in beautifully w/ her blonde hair and really gave her that beautiful, long and full look she was going for and the look that SO MANY brides want these days - you know half up w/ a soft curl.  It's really great to experiment w/ clip in extensions and I can't think of a better time then your wedding.  They are a fun, non permanent, non damaging way to give your hair the fullness, length and body you've always dreamed of (or at least I have w/ my straight, flat hair lol). 

For her makeup I gave her a really pretty shimmery purple/grey smokey eye and pink lip gloss.  Bre-Ann was actually a lot more tan then when I did the initial trial a few mths ago which looked great on her and really did actually help to camouflage a lot of the natural redness in her face but I have to admit I'm still NOT A FAN of tanning.  1. It's unhealthy and it prematurely ages the skin 2. It really dries out the skin and a lot of times makes it harder for the foundation to lay nicely on the skin...no matter how much moisturizing you do sometimes it just sits on top of the skin!

I actually used a different foundation on Bre-Ann then at the trial.  At the trial I used Yaby liquid foundation and set it w/ Yaby powder foundation.  Because her skin was a bit drier I wanted to use soemthing a little more dewy so I went w/ the Face Atelier liquid foundation which looked gorgeous and really left a nice glow to the skin.  It's also a great foundation choice for more mature clients - 1. b/c their skin can tend to be on the dry side and it is more dewy 2. the silicone helps it from laying in fine lines and wrinkles which is always a good thing :)

I never actually got to see Bre-Ann all done up in her dress which is unfortunate b/c I love seeing my brides completely finished if possible so I really hope she sends me a couple of pictures from the actual wedding b/c I KNOW she will look gorgeous in them.

I want to send a special thanks to Ashley Readings for helping me that day w/ all the hair and for doing the final hairstyling on Bre-Ann.

BLO @ Bloor West Giveaway Winner!

First off Thank You to EVERYONE that entered my Blo @ Bloor West Blow Out Giveaway Draw courtesy of Ashley Readings and the wonderful ppl at BLO down on Bloor West!
So I have a WINNER to the contest....Drum Roll Please...

FARAH - Congratulations!

I have your email and I will be contacting you so you can collect your prize.  I can either mail the gift card out to you or if we're close by in Toronto I can always meet up w/ you...always happy to meet fellow bloggers anyway!

For those that care I used random-draw.com again to pick the Winner!  I wish you ALL could win seriously.  But I still totally suggest checking out Blo next time you have a special night planned and you want to look pretty b/c it's really affordable and it just makes you feel super special and hot...and who doesn't deserve that sometime!

So again congrats Farah on winning the Blow Out at Blo...ask for Ashley if she's working (as you know she does amazing work...and don't forget to tip her big ;) )

Prom Time - The Beauty of Youth!

Ahh Prom Season is upon us and I got to meet and work w/ a great young lady today - Alexia and her equally awesome mom Siobhan, who is actually close to my age...I'm not going to lie...it's sort of weird when the mom's of my prom clients are in my age group (well a few yrs older).  I'm use to my brides and I being the same age but mom's it's different...but she's like a really cool, hot, young mom - you know the kind you wanted when YOU were young!  Siobhan and I also have the same b-day which I always think is really neat b/c 1. I never meet anyone w/ my bday 2. I'm into that sort of thing...probably why we hit it off so well!  Can't wait to give her a makeup lesson or do her Hair & Makeup for a special event!

Anyway, back to Alexia.  Gorgeous girl w/ great eyebrows and amazing blonde hair!  Seriously, so long but healthy and curls like a dream and so thick too! She was wearing this really cute spaghetti strapped cherry print mini dress from Dolce & Gabbana (actually her mom's).  It had a retro feel so I wanted to go w/ that for the makeup too so I did a really bright red lip to match the cherries in the dress and a bit of bronze/brown on the eyes w/ some black liner just slightly winged (a full wing liner was just a bit too much for Alexia).  I also really wanted to give her a gorgeous glow on the cheeks and of course I used my favourite Yaby Highlighter for that...seriously it just ALWAYS looks amazing on everyone. 

Like many teenagers, Alexia has a little bit of acne but you'd never know it once you put a bit of foundation and concealer to cover it up.  I actually started w/ the MUFE green primer which helped to minimize any redness on the face.  I used Yaby concealer, Graftobian HD cream foundation and lightly finished it off w/ Yaby Powder Foundation for just a bit of extra coverage.  It's important to remember you don't need to cake on the products to get good coverage.  If you use the right products w/ the right technique a little bit goes a long way!

For the hair I just went through and curled 1 inch sections using my favourite curling iron - my Herstyler 3P wand.  Her hair was very long and very thick but it curled so well.  Some ppl just have hair that curls beautifully and she is one of them...lucky girl!.  Originally, we had talked about putting it up into a messy bun ala Taylor Swift but in the end we just left it down and I pinned it to the side which I think went really well w/ the style of the dress.

I've included a few quick snap shots I took of Alexia before I ran out the door.  Excuse the quality it's not the best but she had tons of ppl taking her picture and I didn't want to wear the girl out before the night even started lol!  Plus I think she was starting to get annoyed w/ everyone taking her picture lol!  The pics really don't do justice to the shine of her hair or the highlight on her cheeks but you get the idea.

My Work + Vogue Italia = :) :) :)

I've shown you guys this pic already but I'll throw it up here again as a reminder of it's awesomeness lol!  Anyway, got some pretty cool news today.  The pic featuring the beautiful Mikayla (Ford) shot by Manolo Ceron (although they used his birth name on the site) got picked up by Vogue Italia Pic of the Day or something...not exactly sure what the deal is w/ it all I know is my work is up on Vogue Italia's website and it even lists my name (spelt correctly) so that makes this automatically a pretty good day!

So follow the link to see the pic up on the site in all it's gloriousness!  Also please vote for said picture on the site...I'm not sure what voting does but it can't be bad so if you love me you'll do it lol!

Super Sexy Hair Time - BLO Blow Dry Bar Giveaway!

Yesterday morning I got a text from my frequently mentioned friend/colleague Ashley Readings.  She was working at Blo @ Bloor West and it was a Monday (and voting day) so of course it was a bit slow.  For those of you not in the know Blo is a salon where you go to get amazing blow outs, updos and styles all really reasonably prices and relatively quick...no cuts no colour just styling!  This job btw has made Ashley an amazing hair person and I'm very envious of her insane skills!

Anyway, back to the text!  She wanted to know if I wanted to come down to the salon get my hair done and do a giveaway for my fellow bloggers!  Of course I JUMPED at this opportunity.  Funny thing - Ashley and I have been friends for a long while now and I've never visited her at Blo...I don't know why it was lots of fun and it had been SO LONG since I had any sort of professional do ANYTHING w/ my  hair (seriously if my clients knew my last haircut they call me a hypocrite for always preaching reg. trims...which I am I guess lol).  Plus I don't know about you guys but I've been feeling rather bluesy lately w/ all the rain...really affects my mood something fierce.  I think if I was richer I'd go get my hair done every day I was feeling down...it really helps lol!  Also I had dinner plans last night so I knew the hair wasn't going to go to waste ;)

So after I did my National Duty and cast my Vote I headed down to the salon to get pampered!  Ashley did her thing - washed my hair, dried it w/ a round brush, pinned it, teased the hell out of if and finally shook it and smoothed it all out to create some of the most glorious and voluminous hair my head has seen in a long time...possibly EVER! 

I should note that at no time did she use a curling iron..this was all done w/ a round brush and blow dryer!  I have insanely straight, long and silky hair...I need to put layers in it...ppl are shocked when I tell them I do not straighten or even dry my hair a lot of times and how straight it is (probably also why I can go so long between cuts w/ no split ends).  Ashley even was shocked w/ how shiny and slippery my hair was even when she tried to "dirty it up and give it grip" w/ various products lol.   So even to say that Ashley did an AMAZING job is an understatement lol.  I'm not going to lie when she first finished it was a bit Jersey Shore and I was a bit embarrassed to leave the salon in my hoodie and lulu lemons on the subway but of course after a couple of hrs it settled into just gorgeous soft voluminous curls.

FYI the picture above is after a couple of hrs in my apt.  Still gorgeous looking!  The picture below was at Blo just after my hair was finished.  Sorry not the best quality it was taken w/ Ashley's iPhone.

This picture is to remind you guys what my natural hair looks like - it has not been straightened in this picture and in fact this was a couple of mths ago in my old apt. and it's a bit longer now lol!

So now on to the GIVEAWAY!  This one is only open to TORONTO residents or surrounding area (as long as you don't mind travelling to Blo @ Bloor West).  I have a gift card for 1 FREE BLOW OUT at the Blo @ Bloor West location - it is ONLY good for that location fyi. 

How do you ENTER - I'm going to make it INSANELY simple...nothing fancy here.  Just leave a comment in my comment box w/ your name and email and we're all good!  Yes, that's it!  I want to make this as easy as possible for everyone! 

So come on and ENTER who doesn't want gorgeous hair for that special night on the town...or just b/c you're having a crappy day like I was!

GOOD LUCK!

Forgot to mention the contest will run until Tues May 10!  I'll announce the winner then!

Timeless Bridal Beauty

So on Sat. afternoon I had the pleasure of working on a really unique wedding w/ a really fun Bride - Tina and her Mother in Law - Winnie.  What made this wedding so unique you ask?  Well to start it wasn't overly formal at all...almost just like a big party w/ all your fav. ppl coming together which I guess is what a wedding is suppose to be lol. 

Also, the couple were doing their pictures over at The Distillery District at around 5 before the ceremony which was actually at night.  But what really made this wedding unique was the fact that it was a Time Period costume party wedding...but it wasn't decade specific you could come dressed in ANY time period you wanted!  So as you can imagine the couple obviously has a bit of whimsy to them.  The bride didn't even have a Maid of Honour but a Man of Honour instead lol!

Originally, Tina was going to do a completely 20's themed wedding but couldn't find a dress that was 20's specific and good for a wedding dress but then she found this amazing 50's inspired dress and they decided to change things up and let their guests choose any time period they wanted. 

To be honest I'm really glad Tina went w/ a 50's style b/c her features were made for that style and the makeup just suited her so well...she wore the look, the look wasn't wearing her which if she went completely 20's I fear it might have b/c that's a lot more costumey style IMO then 50's which is much more classic.  That's one of the reasons I love that classic 50's look of a strong red lip and winged eyeliner so much - you totally recognize it as vintage but it still looks modern and wearable today!  I mean years from now when she's looking at her wedding pictures of course she'll know it was a vintage look but I don't think she'll ever have any regrets about it or think what was I thinking b/c the pictures will be timeless! 

I also did her hair and boy does she have a lot of it!  I actually did an authentic wet set pin curl and dried it using my portable hair dryer hood that you hook up to your hair dryer...check it out if you don't know what I'm talking about.  Really useful for weddings or shoots b/c then you can go on to makeup and don't have to stand over the person drying their hair w/ a hair dryer.  After it the hair was set I brushed in out and pulled it into half crescent style side bun and finished it off w/ the perfect headband accessory that she had.  Man if you want a strong curl that you can brush and manipulate I strongly suggest trying a wet set pin curl technique.

Overall, I was really happy w/ the way Tina looked in the end...esp. since I didn't actually get to do a trial on her beforehand.  We did meet up for a drink to discuss looks and ideas and to sign the contract (we lived right near each other before I moved) but I never physically did a trial on her so it can always be a bit nerve wracking when it's your first go at the bride and it's the actually wedding day!

I also did the makeup for her Mother in Law - Winnie which actually was a lot of fun and turned out really well IMO.  I'm not going to lie I was a bit nervous about it beforehand...she actually was doing the 20's theme and had this amazing flapper dress that looked fantastic on her.  It's not that I don't know how to do a 20's makeup or anything it's just it can as I mentioned be a bit costumey or sad clown looking and a bit harsh w/ the heavy heavy dark eyes (not always the best thing for more mature clients).  But I modified it a little and it worked out really well and she totally pulled it off!  For once it was actually good a client didn't have full brows b/c anyone who knows 20s knows the brows were basically just thin lines so I was able to do those really authentically.  I did the eyes in a softer purple/grey smokey style and I didn't rim the bottom w/ any shadow b/c I didn't want to make her eyes smaller looking.  The thing of course that really defines the 20s is of course the lips w/ that little bow lip.  I was able to really camouflage her natural lips well and make a really cute bow lip which just totally set the look!

I really hope Tina sends me some pictures of the wedding b/c they are bound to interesting, a little off the wall and totally different than any other wedding I've done yet lol!  Also excuse the quality of the couple of pictures I was able to get of the bride she was literally jetting out the door for pictures when I took them!